Device for re-lining crucibles or converters



June 21, 1966 PUHRINGER 3,256,956

DEVICE FOR RE-LINING CRUCIBLES OR CONVERTERS Filed Jan. 29, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 lNVENTOR OTHMAR PUHRINGER Man. 51% M HIS ATTORNEYS June 21, 1966 o. PUHRINGER 3,256,956

DEVICE FOR RELINING CRUGIBLES 0R CONVERTERS Filed Jan. 29, 1964 s Sheets-Sheet 2 F/GE [NVENTOR OTHMAR PUHRINGER H IS ATTORNEYS June 21, 1966 o. PUHRINGER 3,255,956

DEVICE FOR RE-LINING CRUCIBLES OR CONVERTERS Filed Jan. 29, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 6 /0 EE jun? 20 '[NVENTOR OTHMAR PUHRINGER BY MMMV M HIS ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,256,956 DEVICE FOR RE-LINING CRUCIBLES OR CONVERTERS Othmar Piihringer, Linz, Austria, assignor to Vereinigte Osterreichische Eisenund Stahlwerke Aktiengesellschaft, Linz, Austria, a company of Austria Filed Jan. 29, 1964, Ser. No. 340,915 Claims priority, application Austria, Jan. 31, 1963,

A 801/63 1 Claim. (Cl. 182-128) The re-lining of crucibles or converters, particularly of those destined for the top-blowing process, was generally effected from above. For this purpose either the chimney hood had to be displaceable or an inlet door had to be provided in the chimney; apart from that, an auxiliary craneway had to be provided in the vicinity of these apertures, wherefrom a platform with opera-ting personnel could be moved into the openings. Also the transportation of the bricks had to be effected in the same manner.

Essential disadvantages and difficulties of the mentioned known technique reside in that the design of the chimney became complicated and that undue expenditures resulted from the provision of a crane. When the crane was not in use, it was necessary to remove the craneway from the range of the crucible, which mostly could be accomplished only by bringing it into the vertical position with the aid of additional swivel means. Another considerable drawback of the known construction is that the workmen had to operate predominantly in the sphere of suspended loads.

The invention provides a device for re-lining crucibles or converters, by which the disadvantages and difiiculties described are avoided. The device comprises'a supporting frame adapted to be secured to an opening provided in the bottom of the converter, on which frame a lifting means is arranged which moves' in upward or downward direction a vertically adjustable scaffold extending into the interior of the crucible, said scaflold carrying an operating platform and an elevator.

The scaffold may consist of one or several tube elements which engage with each other at the joints by means of key and slot.

Advan-tageously tooth racks are secured to the tubular elements of which the scaffold is made, preferably on opposite sides thereof, which racks are driven by pinions of the lifting means. The platform may be a hinged platform. The elevator may comprise a rope winch, the rope of which extends through the interior of the tubular scaffold to mill floor level, wherefrom the lining material is supplied.

The lining device according to the invention enables to effect the entire re-lining from mill floor level underneath the crucible. Thus, the chimney hood need not be displaceable, and the whole construction above the crucible may be of a considerably simpler design than has previously been possible.

The invention is explained more fully in the drawing by way of an exemplary embodiment. FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a crucible with the lining device moved in; FIG. 2 shows a view turned by 90 relative to the plane of section of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 to 7 illustrate diagrammatically the individual steps of moving in and positioning the lining device according to the invention.

The refractory-lined crucible 1 has an annular bottom 3,256,956 Patented Julie 21, 1966 plate 2, which is inserted into the collar-shaped, arched lower part 3 of the crucible shell. This lower part 3 of the crucible shell has an annular iflange 4. The lining device itself comprises the supporting frame 6, which is connected to the annular flange 4 by means of screws 7, a lifting device with a motor 9, a gear 10, and a vertically adjustable scaffold consisting of the tube members 12, 13 provided with tooth racks 11, 11' arranged on opposite sides thereof and driven by pinions 14, 14 (FIG. 2).

Mounted on a crosshead 15 at the upper end of the scaffold there is the elevator, which comprises the rope winch 16 and the rope .17 extending through the interior of the tubular scaffold to the mill floor level 19. A platform 18, which is hinge-able, is arranged a distance below the crosshead 15.

The function of the device according to the invention is diagrammatically illustrated in FIGS. 3 to 7. At first, the lining device with the frame 6 and the first scaffold element 12 are moved under the crucible 1 by means of a carriage 20 (FIG. 3). Then the frame 6 is lifted and secured to the bottom flange 4 (FIG. 4), whereupon the tubular scaffold element 12 is lifted up to the lower stage position and the platform 18 is swung out (FIG. 5). Now, the lining of the crucible is efiected from the bottom to the top, the supply and removal being effected from mill tloor level. FIG. 6 shows the position in which the first tube element 12 of the scaffold has to be lengthened by a second element 13. This is done in such a manner that the first element is maintained in mesh with the pinion by a gear brake or another holding means, until the extension element 13 is moved underneath. The joints between the elements 12 and 13 engage by a key and a slot.

The extension element 13 is lifted until it meshes with the pinion, and then the middle and upper parts of the crucible can be lined. If desired, a larger number of extension elements may, of course, be used so that, the described device is suitable for large andvery large crucible sizes. FIG. 7 shows the platform in the topmost position, corresponding to the representation in FIG. 1.

I What I claim is:

A device for relining a metallurgical vessel having an opening in its bottom and a detachable bottom for closing said opening, comprising a supporting frame, means for securing said frame to said bottom in alignment with said opening, a scaffold movably mounted in said frame and extending into the interior of the vessel, an operating platform at the upper end of said scaffold, said scaffold comprising an upper length of lattice work and a lower length of lattice work, said length .of lattice work being detachably connected to each other in end to end relation,

each length of lattice work having substantially the same cross-section and an unobstructed central area and comprising a plurality of longitudinal tubular struts around said central area, means for detachably connecting the struts of one length of lattice work to the struts of the other length of lattice work, toothed racks on and extending lengthwise of each of said lengths of lattice work and in alignment lengthwise of said scatfold, a lifting means on said frame including driven pinions for engaging said racks on said upper length of lattice work and to lift it in said frame to enable the lower length of lattice work to be connected to said upper length and for moving said scaffold in upward and downward directions, and a winch on said platform substantially'in alignment with the axis 3 4 of said scaffold for lifting lining material through said 3,058,543 10/ 1962 Prosser 182--128 scaffold from below. 3,150,740 9/1964 Rubeli 189-14 X FOREIGN PATENTS References Cited by the Examiner 1,196,757 5/1959 France.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 2 57 994 10 195 Shem-d 1 9 12 HARRISON R- MOSELEY, Primary Examiner.

2,933,918 4/1960 Arnold l82128 X REINALDQ P. MACHADO, Examiner. 

